Nathan Belz

Great hold on the face. Simple. Elegant. Classic look. Extremely durable. Dropped them down a rock face by accident and they didn't have any noticeable scratches.

These glasses are awesome. So light. You barely notice that they are on your face. Out for a stroll on the town? Throw the Variant V7's on and people will probably think you're a celebrity. I will say, I was worried at first that I wouldn't be able to wear these if I were doing something more active, but shockingly they hold to your face very well. Running and/or hiking would certainly not be an issue. No need for croakies or anything. The best part? The SR-91 polarization is superb. Say goodbye to glare forever.

I've owned a number of insulated vests in the past, but this is my absolute favorite. Perfect for early spring or late fall days in New England with only a light layer underneath. Can also get away with wearing it with a softshell underneath for most of the winter. Very nice fit. Not overly bulky. My favorite part is the stow pocket. Packs up nice and small and works great as a pillow on overnight/multi-day hikes without taking up a bunch of room in your pack.

Is typically the reaction I get when wearing this sucker. Very stylish. Meant to be a casual watch, but I wear it all the time. Hiking, sailing, skiing, hunting...doesn't matter. Seems to be pretty durable. Only a few scratches on the band after some hairy maneuvers on Mt. Katahdin this summer in a downpour. The face is a little larger than I expected when ordering, but I got used to it pretty quickly. If your north of the border, the days can also be displayed in french. I was in the market for a new watch for about two years, and was feeling like most watches these days feel very cheap. I like a heavy watch, simple face, with a metallic band (not a fan of a lot of bells and whistles). The Rip Curl Huntington definitely meets those categories.

These poles are great. The locking system is fantastic - solid and secure. I've seen many other hikers and snowshoers with the twist-lock style and the sections are constantly slipping. I've never had an issue with these. If you're going to be going into some deep snow, I would recommend buying the snowflake baskets - you'll be glad you did.

As the review by D. King says below, the vestibule is what drew me to this particular tent. In addition, the complete screen style of the tent when not using the rainfly is awesome. You'll also find many others describing the "coziness" if your tenting with two people. My advice, buy this tent if you want to go camping with someone you don't mind getting cozy with! Durable, warm, well-ventilated. A bit on the heavy side to carry by one person, but it's doable. After two days of schlepping it by myself, I had to forfeit some of the load to a fellow hiker. All that being said, still very glad I decided to go with this tent and would buy it again if given the chance.

If you run warm, no need to go with the insulated version. Generally I wear a mid-weight base layer underneath and am good to temps as low as the single digits. Mainly just general-use, nothing overly active. I was hoping they would have a bit slimmer fit, but to that end they are not overly bulky. Only gripe is that after a few rounds of ice build-up on the cuffs, the stitching has started to fray. Belt loops, zippered-fly, front pockets and a cargo pocket are super handy. Elastic style gaiters feel a little chincy, but they have held up so far!

Either on a short business trip, a bag for spare gear to have in the car, or for an intense day at the gym, this is the bag I go to. Super durable. Super packable. Awesome color (green). Multiple handles are a plus. At first I thought they would just be a nuisance, but the way it carries is great. Zippered pocket on the top flap is a nice addition. Buckle straps help cinch down the contents and keep your gear from bouncing around in transit. Shoulder strap unclips - always a benefit.

Aprrox. Unpacked Dimensions: 17" L x 11" W x 9" D

Hands down the best rain shell jacket I have owned. Other than a torrential downpour, you can watch the water bead up and slide right off. Even in a downpour though, you stay completely dry. After a full year of use, no need to retreat with any type of waterproofing. Washed it once after a very wet and muddy weekend excursion - came out looking brand new and beaded up like the day I bought it. Affordable. Practical. Stylish. Need I say more?

Great little compass. Clip-on feature is great. Purchased it to have the dual functionality of a thermometer. However, I found that after a couple winter hikes, the temperature display became extremely faint. Going to try a new battery, but have an idea that the watch-style battery isn't going to hold up to prolonged exposure to cold weather.

I've seen the original Optimus Nova Stove in action, and I will say that the new flame adjustment system on the Plus model is MUCH better. Definitely worth paying the little bit of extra cash. I generally use straight up white gas and can boil 1L of water in about 3min. Coldest I've been is about 10deg Fahrenheit and still was able to boil in the same amount of time. I would recommend buying the cook set as the pot features a coil system on the bottom that is designed to trap more heat than a regular pot - makes boiling a lot faster. I decided to go with Optimus cause I felt like it was much more durable than other brands on the market - I know multiple people that own Optimus and have had their stoves for countless years and they hold up to a beating.

As far as amount of fuel to amount of cooking, my experience is that the 1L bottle can cook for 2-3 people for 5days. Depends on how wise you are about use, what you are cooking, how much coffee you make, etc., but definitely has multi-person multi-day capacity. And I personally don't find the added weight of a little extra gas on the onsite of a hike to be all that cumbersome. Cleans easily, looks great. Can't write enough praise for it. GREAT STOVE!

I would say overall this is a great sleeping pad. Some of the reviews talk about getting lightheaded while blowing it up (since you have to do that manually) but I haven't found that to be the case yet. Used mine about 15 or so times over the past year and probably averaged about 4min inflation time without becoming lightheaded. Price is great. Comfort is awesome. My only gripe is that the material is kind of noisy against my Lafuma Warm n'Light 800 sleeping bag.

At first, I was a little concerned about the light after reading some reviews about CREE type LEDs. However, this light is more than bright enough (so long as you aren't expecting to light up an entire campsite or something with it) and much brighter than I expected after reading the reviews. Very sleek design with a very durable feel. Definitely glad I made the purchase.